


In Which Karkat Vantas and Dave Strider Are Gay

by Red_Script



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Anxiety Disorder, Bottom Karkat, Chubby Karkat, Gay, Interspecies Relationship(s), M/M, Mpreg, Post-Sburb/Sgrub, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Secrets, Self-Esteem Issues, Top Dave
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:08:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24097834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_Script/pseuds/Red_Script
Summary: A story in which Karkat Vantas gets pregnant by Dave Strider and tries his best to hide it because, of course, it's obviously not going to work out. They're two different species, and shouldn't even be able to reproduce.
Relationships: Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas, Eridan Ampora/Sollux Captor, Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam
Comments: 7
Kudos: 79





	1. Prologue

Before their relationship, Dave Strider would flirt almost constantly with Karkat Vantas, something that had originally made the troll very uncomfortable. At first, Karkat thought Dave was just being an ass; why would someone actually _like_ him? But three years on the meteor with the insufferable prick made him realize that maybe, just maybe, Karkat was actually worth it.  
He was still surprised when Dave kissed him that day the new planet was created. They'd all been standing there, tensely waiting for something to inevitably go wrong, and the blond had turned to the troll. "Karkat?" Dave had asked, a surprisingly serious expression in place of his neutral one. "Can I... talk to you?"  
Karkat turned to Dave, a questioning look on his face. "What is it?" he asked, glancing toward the group that was a few feet from them. Nobody was facing them, instead choosing to chat about what they hoped the world would be like. Of course, they'd be able to make it whatever they wanted, what with being the gods of it and all, but the curiosity for how it would first appear was still there. "Dave, are you okay?"  
Dave was biting his lower lip, gently chewing on it. He was nervous. "Yeah, it's just..." he took a deep breath. "I just want you to know how I actually feel. I... Karkat, dude, I think I love you?" It had come out more as a question than anything. Karkat, taken by surprise, was only able to stare. Dave had been joking, right? There was no way anybody- let alone his best friend- could actually love him in any way. "Like... I really, really fucking love you. I think I have for about a year now, and I know you probably don't feel the same, but I just wanted to tell you. Ah, fuck, you must think I'm a creep or some shit."  
"Dave," Karkat replied seriously once he had found his voice, "what the fuck." He could have sworn his heart had leapt out of his chest. "I... I thought I was the only one." Dave had leaned down then, an arm wrapping itself around the short troll's small waist, and kissed him. Karkat had kissed back, pressing closer to the human and throwing his arms over his shoulders.  
The cackle of Terezi made them break apart. "About fucking time!" she had shouted at them, and Karkat had realized that at some point someone had looked at them and seen.  
Dave's reaction had been to kiss Karkat again, raising a one-fingered salute towards the group.


	2. Chapter 1 (Karkat)

Karkat Vantas wakes up to the smell of chocolate pancakes and bacon. Stretching, Karkat sits up, gently massaging the ache that appears in his calf.  
The troll looks around the bedroom. The black curtains covering the window were pulled shut, but a few rays of sunlight still managed to sneak through and illuminate the room. Karkat stands slowly, his toes sinking into the fluffy lavender carpet under him, and makes his way out of the bedroom and to the large bathroom. He closes the door, pulling his sleep clothes off as he crosses the room to the shower. He waits for a minute once the water is turned on before stepping in and closing his eyes, letting out a calm sigh. The water, warm and inviting, helped relax his tensed muscles.  
He stands like that for a few minutes before he hears a knock on the door. "Come in, Dave!" Karkat calls over the sound of the water, and the door opens to reveal that it is, indeed, his matesprite-boyfriend. "Morning," Karkat says.  
"Mornin'," Dave replies, crossing the room in only a few long strides. "Mind if I join?" Karkat's face burns red, and he shakes his head slightly. Dave, grinning now, undresses and hops in.

"So, what are your plans for the day?" Karkat is nibbling on a piece of toast, the only thing he can really keep down in the mornings, when Dave asks the question. "Because I was thinking that, maybe, we could have a date day?"  
The corners of Karkat's lips twitch upwards. "We've had date days three days in a row, Dave," he says matter-of-factly. "And I'm planning on going to the library for a while. There's a few books I want to check out. Sorry." He loved being around Dave, spending hours with him, but he just felt the need to go out for the day. He didn't know why. Usually, he avoided as much social interaction as possible.  
"No worries, man. I understand." Dave glances at his phone, letting out a soft hum sound as he types something. "Apparently Jade wants to hang out." Karkat nods slightly.  
"In that case, I'll make myself scarce," he replies. Even though he and Jade had come to an understanding and didn't argue as much anymore, they were both incredibly stubborn when it came to their individual opinions. He didn't want to subject Dave to another argument with the long haired girl. "Tell her I say hi, okay? I love you." Karkat stands, placing his plate in the sink and kissing Dave's cheek on his way out. He doesn't see Dave's happy smile, one filled with emotion.  
By the time Karkat is at the library, having walked the twenty minutes from his and Dave's place to the destination, he's oddly out of breath. After catching it, he shakes it off as he walks into the air-conditioned building, heading directly for the romance section. He passes a couple humans who don't even react to his presence on the way there, as well as, oddly enough, Kanaya.  
The short troll's face breaks into a smile when he sees his long time friend. "Hey, Kanaya," he says as he walks over. "It's been a while." He begins perusing through the books, halting only when Kanaya speaks, her voice full of confusion.  
"Hello, Karkat. May I ask what brings you here on this fine day? I would expect you to be with Dave." The way she speaks, even after the question, makes Karkat wonder what she's thinking about. She doesn't usually have such a confused and inquisitive tone.  
Karkat shrugs it off. "Just needed to get out of the house for a while," he tells her. "Is there something bothering you?" Kanaya doesn't respond, continuing to look at Karkat as though he were some new creature she'd just discovered. Suddenly uncomfortable under her stare, Karkat shifts from one foot to another, crossing his arms then uncrossing them again. "Kanaya?"  
"This may be out of the blue, but do you know what the term 'pregnant' means?"  
Karkat gives her a look. "No," he replies slowly. It was a term that Dave occasionally used as a joke, but he'd never explained it to Karkat. Nobody had, in fact, but that was just fine with him. "But Dave uses it sometimes. Is it some sort of debilitating disease from the human race?"  
Kanaya laugh softly, shaking her head. Karkat relaxes slightly. "Nothing of the sort," she tells him. "However, I have been studying with Rose the human anatomy, and that is one of the terms I came across. Supposedly, it's the byproduct of humans having intercourse. it's the way they reproduce. A woman carries the child in her 'womb' for nine months before giving birth to it." Karkat's face morphs into one of disgust. What the hell? Why were they having this conversation? And why in the middle of the library. "I was also looking at some of our history books, and one of them mentioned a similar mode of reproduction in trolls, from before the mother grub. It's a recessive trait now, having been bred out of our species almost entirely, but I found a few cases of it in some of the more recent history texts. The books also mentioned some sort of scent that the 'pregnant' troll carries. It supposedly smells like some sort of lotus flower."  
"And why is this important?" He didn't mean to be rude, but he was beginning to get agitated by Kanaya's rambling. He had, at one point, turned back to the book shelves and once more begun to search for a new book. He finds one, pulling it out of its place and setting it in his other arm while continuing to look.  
Kanaya hums quietly. "Have you, by chance changed your body wash or shampoo recently?"  
"No?"  
Karkat could feel his stomach plummet, even before Kanaya spoke next. "Karkat, you smell like you've rolled around in a bunch of lotus flowers." His book drops from his arm, crashing to the ground and popping open to a random page. Karkat is quiet, staring at Kanaya as though she'd grown a second head. No. Hell fucking no. Either Kanaya was fucking with him, or those history books were wrong, because there was no. Fucking. Way. There were so many things wrong with that she just said. For one, he was in an interspecies relationship. Two, there was no way Karkat could have the recessive gene that gave him the chance to be even more freakish than his bright red blood already made him. Three, he couldn't fathom the idea of him and Dave raising a creature completely dependent on them. Hell, they'd almost died multiple times due to both their shitty upbringings and their lack of sense. Yeah, it's just a joke. A really, really shitty joke.  
"I have to go." Replacing the book as quickly as he can, Karkat absconds from the library, his feet carrying him automatically to a drug store. He'd seen the boxes of those pregnancy test things, but he never thought he'd spend however much money on one of them. He grabs one of the shelf, trying to keep his panicked mind as clear as possible, and starts to make his way to the cash register before pausing. He backtracks, grabbing a second and even third box, then walks up to the cashier and places his items down. He must look like a nervous wreck, and the cashier glances at him worriedly as they begin ringing the tests through.  
Karkat is tapping nervously on the side of his thigh, trying to control his breathing. "Would you like a bag today?" the cashier asks, looking at Karkat. Karkat nods slightly, and the cashier places the tests in a bag. He pays, grabs his purchases, and leaves the store hurriedly.  
He makes it home in record time, not bothering to greet Jade and Dave as he rushes to the bathroom, all but slamming the door behind him as he closes and locks it. "It's fine," Karkat mumbles, sitting on the toilet lid as he attempts to calm himself down. "You're just being irrational. You'll see everything is fine in just a minute. It's fine. You're fine." He wasn't fine.  
Reading the instructions on the boxes, Karkat takes a deep breath and follows them, sitting on the counter afterwards as he waits. Just three minutes. Three minutes and he can go out to Dave and they can laugh this off together. It's the longest three minutes of his life.  
When he looks at the tests, he glances at the box multiple times to confirm. "Fuck. Shit. What? Oh god no. Please no." Karkat can't breathe. "Oh god. Oh god oh no oh god no no no no no. I can't do this I can't oh god oh fuck please no this has to be a nightmare." Because, on all three tests, the little plus sign is there, taunting him. "Oh god I need to get rid of these." He shoves everything back in the shopping bag, taking a quick picture of one with his phone (though he had no idea why he'd want a memento of this awful day), still ignoring Dave, who's now outside the door and knocking gently. "O-one minute!" he calls, trying to get his hands to stop shaking. He can't break down now. Wait until you're alone, Karkat, he thinks to himself. Completely alone. Dave can't know about this.  
The bag is wrapped tightly around the tests and their boxes, clutched in one hand behind his back. It feels as though he's swallowed a few stones and they're sitting heavily in his stomach when he opens the door, walking past Dave and back out the door where he walks, as calmly as possible, to the large garbage can outside and shoves the bag as deep down as they'll go. He walks back inside, about to go upstairs, when he's stopped by Dave's arms wrapping around him and holding him close. "Karkat," he whispers softly, "you okay? Did something happen while you were out?" The concern in Dave's voice makes Karkat's guilt skyrocket.  
"Y-yeah," he mumbles quietly, turning around so he can bury his face into his boyfriend's chest. He lets out a shaky breath, closing his eyes as he fights back the burning feeling in his throat. He won't cry; not when Jade was here, at least. "Sorry for interrupting your hangout with Jade... I-I'll be upstairs."  
Jade's voice pipes up from the living room. "Karkat, get your ass over here and talk to us." She pauses for a second, her voice going gentler. "Or just me, if you need to."  
Karkat looks up at Dave. "Go ahead," Dave says gently, kissing the troll's forehead. "I'll be upstairs, okay?" Karkat nods slightly, but as Dave moves to walk away, the troll clings to his shirt and kisses him quickly. That was something he loved about Dave; he didn't demand to know all of Karkat's secrets right at that moment. He knew the troll would tell him at some point. Karkat did his best to return that level of trust, but it was so difficult.  
When Dave walks upstairs, Karkat makes his way into the living room, clutching the hem of his shirt so tightly he could feel his nails digging into the flesh of his hand. Jade stands up, guiding Karkat to the couch and sitting him down before returning to her seat. "What happened, Karkat?" she whispers. Karkat is almost comforted by just her presence alone. Almost.  
"I ran into Kanaya at the library," Karkat begins, his voice shaking, "and we got to talking. And um, long story short... well..." He grabs his phone, hands still shaking almost too much for him to navigate his way to his photos, and hands the phone to Jade. "Jade, I'm scared. I don't understand what's happening. I'm so scared I feel sick. I-I can't tell Dave. He'd be disgusted. _I'm_ disgusted. Apparently it's a recessive gene trolls managed to breed out of our species, but lucky for me I got the shit hand of cards dealt to me so of course I'm a freak."  
"This isn't a joke of some sort?" Jade asks, still staring at the picture.  
Karkat rolls his eyes. Of course. "Yes Jade, I'm panicking because it's a fucking joke." He scowls. "No, this is completely fucking serious. Jegus fuck, I'd be a terrible lusus. I'm so fucked up and I can't even tell my matesprite about something like this because I just know he'll freak out. This isn't something you just bring up in a casual discussion."  
Jade looks up at Karkat. "You need to tell him, Karkat," she tells him. "This is a really big deal."  
"I-I can't." Karkat swallows, feeling tears forming in his eyes. "Not right now, at least. I'm still processing this myself. But I... I can't do this. I can't do this alone." He wipes the tears from his eyes, feeling anger rising up with the fear. "Fuck!" he shouts, throwing a pillow across the room. It hits the wall harmlessly, falling to the ground and sitting on the floor.  
"Okay, I'm obviously unable to help. I'm going to leave. You are going to go to Dave. You don't have to tell him, but you are going to calm down. Dave is going to help you, and everything will be okay. Okay?" Karkat doesn't look at her. "Okay?" Her voice turns stern.  
"Okay! Fine, fucking christ!" Karkat glares at Jade, who glares back before leaving the house with a huff. Karkat walks upstairs, letting out a long growl as he opens the door to the bedroom, walking the few feet to the bed and throwing himself down on it. Dave, who was sitting at the desk, glances over at him. Karkat burrows under the blankets, hiding his head under the covers like a wriggler would. A few seconds pass before he pokes his head back out and glares at Dave. "Come here," he grumbles.  
Dave complies, moving from chair to bed and joining Karkat under the covers. "Want to tell me what happened?" he asks. Karkat shakes his head. "Okay. Well, I'm here for you. I love you, Karkat."  
Karkat shifts so he's pressed against Dave. "I love you, too," he mumbles, voice so quiet he's almost certain Dave didn't hear despite their close proximity. "I just... I'm having a bad day. Can we stay in bed for the rest of it? I just want today to be done already."  
"Of course." Dave kisses Karkat's head, holding the troll close. Karkat lets himself cry, and Dave does nothing but hold him close as he does.  
Eventually, exhausted, Karkat drifts off cocooned in blankets and Dave's arms.  
What a shitty day.


	3. Chapter 3 (Karkat)

"I just don't know how to bring it up to him," Karkat says, sipping his ginger tea.  
Kanaya lets out a soft sigh, leaning back in her chair in the small kitchen. "I can understand why you're hesitant," she begins, "but you really must tell him. This is something that concerns the both of you, and I believe you will be unable to hide your condition for much longer." Karkat glances down, frowning slightly. In the month since he found out, he'd grown outwards considerably in his stomach area. Even though he'd searched pregnancy and read about it, he still had a moment of panic because _oh god, what if there's a parasite growing in my body right now? It needs to get out._  
"What do I say to him, Kanaya? 'Dave, I have a mutant human-alien grub-baby growing in my stomach and it's yours'?" Karkat frowns. "That wouldn't go very well. He'd think I'm joking at first. Then he'd leave and never return."  
"What makes you think that?" Kanaya inquires, taking a sip of her green tea. "I do not believe Dave would leave like that. Was it not he that brought up the idea of the two of you adopting a child?"  
Karkat scowls. "Yeah, in a few _years_. And anyway, we have eternity. I don't want to be alone for eternity. I spent my first six sweeps hiding from everyone and everything. I don't want to go back to seclusion when you all inevitably start to hate me, if you don't already." He lets out a low sigh, leaning back in his chair and staring at the liquid still in his cup. He didn't enjoy ginger much, but Kanaya said it helped with nausea, and he was sick of puking.   
Kanaya lets out a long sigh. Setting her cup down on the table between them, she leans forward and gently grabs Karkat's free hand. "Karkat, I swear to you that nobody will leave you. Dave will not leave you. He won't run from trouble, because that's who he is. And he loves you far too much to leave you alone like that." Karkat doesn't look Kanaya in the eye. "Karkat, it's been ten years already since you two started dating. He's not going to leave after that long. Trust me."  
The shorter troll takes a deep breath, nodding ever so slightly. "Okay," he mumbles. "I'll trust your judgement, Kanaya. But I need help if I'm going to... to tell him about this. Please. It's been a month and I still don't know how to bring it up."  
"Perhaps it would be easiest to simply bring it up in conversation. Wait for the right opportunity."

The opportunity presents itself a week and a half later.  
For the first time in weeks, Karkat has the house to himself. So, naturally, the troll has forgone wearing a shirt. He lets out a low sigh, leaning on the island counter in the middle of the kitchen with a mug of hot chocolate. _God_ , he missed coffee, but Kanaya told him he shouldn't drink caffeinated products. Seriously, he discovers Earth's greatest creation, and now he can't have any? Fucking christ.  
Karkat hears a ping from his phone, and he reaches over to grab it. It's a text from Kanaya.

\- grimAuxiliatrix (GA) began trolling carcinoGeneticist (CG) at 10:23 -

GA: Karkat  
GA: I Am Terribly Sorry To Interrupt Your Morning  
GA: Well Actually  
GA: Less Apologetic And More Guilty  
GA: But I Need To Know If You Have Spoken To Dave About Your Predicament Yet  
CG: NO KANAYA, I HAVEN'T. AND I'D PREFER IT IF YOU DIDN'T REMIND ME ABOUT THE EVER-APPROACHING END OF MY MATESPRITESHIP, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.  
GA: I Am Just Asking Because  
GA: Well  
GA: Rose Seems To Have Accidentally Let Slip To Dave That You Are In A Delicate Condition  
GA: And Dave Seemed Less Surprised And More Concerned Supposedly  
GA: So I Needed To Check With You To See If He Was Aware  
CG: HE DOESN'T KNOW.  
CG: OR AT LEAST, I DON'T THINK HE DOES.  
CG: I MEAN.  
CG: HE'S BEEN MORE PROTECTIVE AND CUDDLY FOR THE PAST TWO MONTHS, BUT HE SHOULDN'T KNOW. I HAVEN'T TOLD HIM.  
CG: UNLESS MAYBE JADE DID?  
CG: SO MAYBE HE DOES KNOW?  
CG: BUT I SWORE JADE TO SECRECY, AND SHE WOULDN'T BETRAY SOMEONE LIKE THAT.  
GA: But Perhaps She Accidentally Let Something Slip During A Conversation They Were Having  
GA: I Believe It Would Be Best If You Spoke With Dave About This Now Rather Than Leaving It For A Later Point In Time  
CG: BUT EVERYTHING'S FINE RIGHT NOW. I DON'T WANT TO FUCK IT UP.  
GA: I Understand That Karkat  
GA: But This Is Something Very Important That Concerns The Both Of You And Dave Deserves To Find Out From You And Not Someone Else  
CG: I... GUESS YOU'RE RIGHT.  
CG: FUCK, FINE, I'LL TELL HIM.  
CG: BUT I'M NOT REALLY READY TO SAY IT TO HIS FACE.  
CG: WOULD IT BE ACCEPTABLE TO SEND HIM A MESSAGE ABOUT IT? FUCK, HUMAN THINGS ARE WEIRD.  
CG: I'LL JUST SEND HIM A MESSAGE, SINCE YOU AREN'T REPLYING.  
CG: I HOPE IT GOES WELL.  
GA: I Have Just Consulted With Rose And She Told Me It Is Not The Best Move To Tell Him The News Through Text

\- carcinoGeneticist (CG) is now an idle chum! -

GA: Fuck

\- carcinoGeneticist (CG) has began trolling turntechGodhead (TG) at 11:09 -

CG: DAVE.  
CG: I HAVE SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO TELL YOU.  
CG: AND I NEED YOU TO PROMISE ME YOU WON'T FREAK OUT.  
CG: BECAUSE JEGUS FUCK IT'S FUCKED UP AND I'M NOT EVEN HANDLING IT THAT WELL.  
TG: oh hey karkat  
TG: im kinda in the middle of work right now but i can take my break to chat if you want  
CG: FUCK, SORRY. FORGOT YOU WERE BUSY.  
TG: dont worry about it  
TG: ill always make time for you babe  
CG: OH MY FUCKING GOD.  
CG: WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS.  
CG: IT'S SO FUCKING EMBARRASSING.  
TG: you know you like it  
CG: ...  
TG: okay but seriously  
TG: what is it you need to tell me  
TG: is this serious chat time  
TG: do i need to start typing like a functioning person  
TG: Should I bring out the capitals and punctuation?  
TG: or is it chill if i just type normally  
TG: either way works for me really but i dont know how important this news is  
TG: is it like america has just started a nuclear war important  
TG: or is it were out of your favourite cereal important  
CG: I'M PREGNANT.  
TG: dude  
TG: what  
TG: the fuck  
TG: how  
TG: why  
TG: when  
TG: what  
TG: i thought trolls didnt reproduce in that way  
CG: APPARENTLY WE USED TO, AND I WON THE TOP PRIZE IN THE SHITTY GENETIC LOTTERY.  
CG: RED BLOOD AND OLD FASHIONED BODY SYSTEM.  
TG: okay im alone now  
TG: john was asking why i was just staring at my phone  
TG: but how do you know?????  
TG: is this for real?  
TG: are we in a dreambubble or just normal dreaming or is this a nightmare where a fucking alien is going to burst out of your stomach like that scene in alien with the chestburster  
CG: I  
CG: WHAT?  
CG: THIS IS REAL, DAVE. THIS IS REAL AND IT'S STILL FUCKING TERRIFYING.  
CG: THERE'S A LIVING CREATURE GROWING IN MY BODY.  
TG: oh holy fuck  
TG: this isnt a joke right  
TG: this is actually a thing thats happening right  
CG: YES, DAVE. I'VE GONE THROUGH THE WORST MONTH OF MY FUCKING LIFE HAVING TO RUN TO THE BATHROOM EVERY FEW HOURS AND BEING UNABLE TO DRINK COFFEE.  
CG: ALL FOR A FUCKING PRANK.  
CG: THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING.  
CG: I WOULDN'T FUCKING JOKE ABOUT THIS.  
TG: fuck fuck fuck  
TG: ill be home soon okay  
TG: just  
TG: stay there  
TG: oh my god holy shit  
CG: NO. JUST STAY AT WORK.  
CG: WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS LATER.  
TG: karkat  
TG: i am physically incapable of working right now  
TG: i literally cannot see through these manly fucking tears pouring from my eyes at this exact moment  
TG: i dont even know if im typing properly right now  
TG: fuck man im a mess  
TG: im five minutes away

\- turntechGodhead (TG) has ceased pestering carcinoGeneticist (CG) at 11:45 -

Karkat frowns at his phone, taking a deep breath as he walks upstairs to the bedroom. He's not ready for whatever shitstorm was about to ensue. He pulls on a shirt, letting out a soft sigh as it hugs his body. He pulls on a very oversized sweater to better hide his stomach before walking back down the stairs, clutching at the hem anxiously.  
Sitting on the couch, Karkat begins doing something he'd stopped doing years ago; he begins biting at his hands and wrists with his sharp teeth, hard enough to puncture his tough skin and draw blood. He stops when he hears the front door swing open, hurriedly pulling the sleeves down to hide what he was doing. If Dave saw, he'd surely panic like he did when he first found out about the habit. He takes another deep breath, sitting up straight as Dave walks into the room, and- yep, his matesprite has definitely been crying.  
Karkat watches Dave as he walks over to the troll, kneeling down in front of him and looking at him with an expectant expression. His shades were off, hooked on the collar of his shirt. Karkat understands what Dave wants him to do, but he looks away, nervously wrapping his arms around his stomach to dissuade the human.  
Dave sighs, moving so he's closer to Karkat, and gently moves his arms away. The troll lets him, fighting back the urge to snap at him and push him away as Dave slowly pulls Karkat's sweater off. "Oh, wow..." Dave whispers, his voice soft and amazed, and Karkat lets himself look at his body- properly look at it, not through the hateful eyes of someone disgusted with themselves- and lets out a soft sigh.  
Whenever Karkat saw himself in a mirror, he'd imagine himself with a stomach the size of a beachball, making him huge and cumbersome and hideous. But that wasn't the case in reality. The bump was small, but it was definitely there. Definitely noticeable, especially if he had a shirt off. But it was so... tiny. Biting his lip slightly, he places a light hand on the bump, fingers flinching when he finds it's hard, like he'd just ate a particularly large dinner. But it didn't hurt. In fact, to him, it almost felt... right. He catches himself before he starts to purr, but can't stop the soft chirp that escapes. Dave smiles, brushing his fingers gently over the bump.  
That forces the purr out, and Dave hums happily in reply. He stands before sitting on the couch beside Karkat, pulling the troll onto his lap and kissing him. Karkat, caught by surprise, almost instinctively tenses up before relaxing. "I thought you'd be angry..." Karkat mumbles, leaning into Dave's warm body.  
"Why would I be mad?" Dave sounds surprised. "Dude, we've talked about being parents for a while now. I mean, yeah, this whole thing is really unexpected, and we've both agreed we aren't completely ready, but I'm not going to be upset about this." He lets out a soft sigh, nuzzling his head into Karkat's hair. "But honestly, if I knew this was possible, I'd have been more careful. Like, hell, what if this had happened right after the game? That would have been bad, since we already had too much on our hands. But now? Now, we're more prepared, and we're in a stable relationship. We can handle a family. Besides, if we ever need any help, we can always ask John's dad."  
"Mmkay," Karkat replies. He realized for the first time how much he'd been missing physical contact with Dave, how much his body relaxed when being held by him. His eyelids felt heavy. "So, we're going to do this? We're going to be parents?"  
"Fuck yeah we are, and we'll be the best damn parents in the world."


End file.
